Heating system for electric-railway cars



April 2l, 1925- April 21, 192:

W. J. SMITH HEATING SYSTEM FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAY CARS Filed Augfas, 1922 '4 sheets-sheet 2 TTORNEY I I I l I I I I I I I I I I I I I I l I I I I I I I I I l l I III :n ||I| ||I| :Iii I III 1|'I III' :III :u: III IIII III! :III :II III I iii;

M INvlISToR I' BY I I A April 21', 1925- W. J. SMITH HEATING SYSTEM FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAY CARS Filed Aug. 25, 1922 ,EVIN'ENTOR wzwgs ATTORNEY O A O April 21, 1925.

\ 1,535,079 w. J. SMITH HEATING SYSTEM FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAY CARS-- Filad Aug. 25;l 1922 '4 sheets-sheet 4 NVENTOR Patented Apr. '2l, 1925.

UNITED STATESk WILLIAM JUDSON SMITH, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

HEATING SYSTEM FOR ELECTRIC-RILVAY CARS.

Application sied August 25, 1922. serial No. 584,212.

To all whom 'it may concern.'

l Bc it known that I, 'WILLIAM J. SMrrH, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Heating Systems for Electric-Railway Cars, of which the folcars.

This invention has for its general object an improved heating system for railway cars which is safe, efficient, economical and readily installed.

A more specific object for this invention is to provide a system of heating in which air is the heating medium, the system being provided with means exterior to the car body for heating the air. y.

Another object is to provide a system for electric railway cars in which theuir is heated by the energy dissipated in the motor rheostats.`

. Still another object is to provide an improved 'housing' for the motorv rheostats which conserves the heat for heating purposes and yet affords provision for the proper cooling ofthe rheostats in hot as well as in cool Weather.

Other objects of this invention will in part be hereinafter specifically pointed out and in part obvious from the arrangements and constructions here set forth.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elenients'and'arrangement of parts which will lbeexemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of their application Will appear in the appended claims.

For a more complete understanding ofthe nature and advantages of this invention reference should be had to the following detailed description, which describes the best illustrative embodiment of this invention at present known to me, .taken in connection with the accompanying-drawing in which:

Figure l shows an electric street railwaycar, mainly in side elevation, provided with the heating system in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the car shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 shows a view partly in scction'and partly in side elevation of the heating means for containing the` motor rheostats which heat the air supplied to the car;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taking on a plane at right angles to that of Fig. 3, and further illustrating the construction of the heating means containing the rheostats;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view showing the end doors of the heating means;

Figs. G and 7 are fragmentary views showing details of the door latching means; while Fig. 8 shows a transverse section of the car shown in Fig. 1 equipped with this invention.

Referring now to the drawing, and particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, 10 denotes a car body the interior of which is heated by air supplied thereto through the heat distributing conduits 11, (indicated in broken lines in Fig. 1). These conduits are supplied with heated air received from, and communicate with the heating means 12, shown as secured exterior to the car body and preferably below the car fioor 13. The conduits 11 are arranged to discharge into the car body at a. plurality of points so disposed as i preferably to get the circulation of the heating medium to all points of the car body; such discharge points as illustrated may be conveniently located adjacent the roof of the car, as designated at 14. i v

The movement of the heated airwithin the conduit 11 and its discharge into the car body, may be accelerated by the employment of the small air injecting means shown at 15, which comprises tubular passages extending to the exterior of the car having4 outwardly fiared funnel shaped lnouths 16,

the tapered Ainner end 17 of which project into .the conduits 11 in the direction of a dischargcopening 14. It is seen that .this accelerating means operates on the principle of the injector drawing-air from the out-y side which passes into'the conduit 11 in the 'form of a small rap-idly moving stream moving in the direction of the outlet oi the conduit, thereby entraining and imparting dium. This return is conveniently effected by means of a. conduit disposed adjacent the floor of the car body as shown at 18 in Fig. 8. This conduit 18 has a mouth 19 projecting slightlyabove the level of the car floor,

opening to receive the cool air which has settled to the floor of the car. 18 leads to and discharges into the heating means 12 at one side as indicated at 20.

The airheating means, exterior tothe body of the car, is shown more in detail in Figs. 3, 4 and 5; and comprises a box-like body 22 preferably constructed with a double sheet -metal wall, as indicated at 23, between which a filling of heat insulating material, such as asbestos, 24 is disposed. This heating means is supported from the floor 13 of the car body by means of the frame work shown at 25. Extending up from the top of the body of the box 22 is the hollow tubular connection 26 which entcrs and is supported by the floor 13. This f tubular connection is designed to conduct a minimum of heat to the floor of'the car body. Within this tubular connection extends the air outlet conduit 27 which communicates with and leads from the heating chamber 28, entering at the top of the box 22. This conduit 27 communicates with the lower end of the h'eat distributing conduit 11, to supply it with heated air. The connection of the conduit 18 is sho-wn as discharging into onev side of the box 22 behind the deflector 29. v

Within the box 22 are supported in insulated relation a plurality of rheostats 30. These rheostats have electrical connections 31 leading to the motors of the car, and arc adapted to supply the starting and controlling resistance for the car motors. These rheostats consequently d`ssipate a quantity of electrical energy in the ordinary run of the car, this energy being dissipated in the form of heat which is imparted to the body of air in the chamber 28 of the box 22.

In sunnner, when it is not desired to supply heated air from the chamber 28 to the car, box 22 Vis provided with a valve plate 35 adapted to be slid across thel mouth of the outlet conduit 27, thereby preventing the ,passage of air to thc' interior of the car.

Inorder, however, to provide suflicient ventilation to coo-l the rheostats 30 when not heating air for heating fpurposcs, the passage of suliicient air for cooling purposes over the/rheostats 30 is afforded by opcn'ng the swinging-doors 36 and 37 on the ends of the box 22. These doors are shown in Fig.

The conduit. y

3 as hinged VAalong their upper edge and extend substantially the full widthofl the box .22, these doors beingformed with the double erated by the motion of the car. Deflectors may be provided as indicated at 38 for controlling the flow of air over the rheostats when the doors 36 andY 37 areopened.

The box 22, as thus constructed, is of a heat insulating character preventing the radiation to the outside of substantially all the heat dissipated by the rheostats 30. -The body of air being circulated through the car body is thus adapted to absorb substantially all the ei'iergy in the form of heat dissipated, thereby operating to obtain av very high efficiency and low cost in the heatingof rallroad cars.

In order to prevent drafts of air from passing through the body of the box 22 when the doors 36 and 37 are closed special fasteningmean's are lprovided for the doors in order to make them substantially air tight when closed. The details of this fastening means are shown in Figs. 6 and`7. The bottom of the door at 36, as shownin Fig. 7 is adapted to close-snugly into place and fit tightly on the bottom 4() ofthe box 22, the

floor being slightly offset and chamfered as indicated at 41 to permit the thick door -to be swung into place. The Jfastening means comprises the link.42 which engages with the hook 43 on the botto-1n 40, this link being operated by the hand lever .'44 pivoted at 45 to the bottom of the door 36. The lever 44 when swung to the upper position indicatedthrows the link 42, when engaging with the hook 43, past the dead center above the pivot 45, thereby insuring a tight fastening which will not jar loose during theoperation of the car. i

The object in chamfering the box 22, as shown at 41, is to provide arecess which may be filled with plastic asbestos cement. Thisfilling will take up any wcar'there may be on the llooror door, or in stretching of lock links. Enough cement will be putin to make the joint air tight.- Th`s could be done in thc fall, and the filling could remain until spring, unless it were necessary to remove a rhcostat. A

In operation it is seen that when `it is i air within the chamber `28 which flows through the distributing means to the interior of the car where it circulatesto heat the car. When finally cooled it settles to It will also be perceived, that by remov ing the heating means to the exterior of the car, 'that a more commodious arrangement is afforded, and vtire hazard is considerably reduced, makng for a. cleaner and safer method of heating.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and as many apparently widely diierent embodiments of this inven-.

tion could be made without-departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that Aall matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanyfng drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limit-ing sense.

It is also to be understood that the langauge used in' the following claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific teatures of the invention here'n described, and all statements ot the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, mightA be said to fall therebetween.

Having described my invention, what I claim is new and des're to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a heating system for electric railway ears, the combination with means for distributing heated air within the car, ot' means tor heating the air suppl'ed to said distributing means by the energy dissipated in the motor rheostats, and positive means inl said distributing means for accelerating the movement of the heated air.

- 2. In a heating system for electrc railway ears, the combination with means for distributing heated air within the car, of means for heating the air supplied to said distributing means by the energy dissipated in the motor rheostats, mea-ns for returning the air to said heating means, and pos'tive means in said distributing means for accelerating the movement of the heated air.

3. In a heating system for electric railway cars, the combination with conduits for distributing heated air to the interior of the car, of a heat insulated box suspended beneath the caradapted to house the motor rheost-ats and supply heated air to said conduits, and positive means for accelerating thc movement otl air in said distributing conduits.

i. In a heating system for electric railway cars, the combination with conduits for distributing heated air to the interior ot the cai'. ot' a,I heat insulated box suspended beneath the car adapted to house the motor rheostats and supply heated air to said conduit-s, a conduit having an opening near the floor of said car vand leading to said box adapted to withdraw the cooled air vfrom the car, to be re-heated by said rheostats, and means disposed in said distributing conduits adapted to entrain air bythe motion of the car and accelerate the movement of heated air through said distributing conduits. y

5. lIn a heating system forelectric railway cars, the combination with conduits for distributing heated air to the interior ot the car, of a heat insulated box suspended beneath the car adapted to house the motor rheostats and supply heated air to said conduits, a conduit having a receiving opening near the floor of said car and leading to said box, and positive meansffor accelerating the movement of air in said distributing conduits.

6. In a heating system for electric railway ears, the combination with conduits for distributing heated air to the interior of the car, of a heat insulating box suspended beneath the car adapted to house the motor rheostats and supply heated air to said conduits, a conduit having a receiving opening near the Hoor of said car and leading to said box, and funnel shaped air injecting devices vhaving their mouths on the exterior of said cars and pointing in the direction the car is to move, and nozzles in said distributing conduits discharging in the direction of an opening in the distributing conduit.

7. In a heating system for electric railway cars, the combination with conduits for distributing heated air within the car, of adouble walled box suspended "beneath the car Hoor and opening to the atn'iosphere, the space between the walls being tilled with heat insulating material, motor rheostats within the box, and means disposed in said conduits adapted to entrain air by the motion of the car and to draw it through the box in contact with' said rheostats.

8. In a heating system for electric railway cars, the combination with conduits for distributing heated air within the car, of a double walled box suspended beneath the car oor and opening to the atmosphere, the space between the walls being -tilled with heat insulating material, motor rheostats within the box, a valve controlling the pas sage from said box to said distributing conduits', and means disposed in said conduits adapted to entrain air by the motion of the car and to draw it through the box in contact with said rheostats.

9. In a heating system for electric rail` way cars, the combination with conduits for distributing heated air within the car` of a double walled box suspended beneath the ear floor and opening to the atmosphere, the space between the walls being filled with heat' insulating material, motor rheostats within the box, and funnel shaped air injecting devices having their mouths on the .exterior of the car and pointing in the di` rection in Which the car is to move, and nozzles connecting with said tunnels disposed in said conduits and arranged to discharge in the direction lof an opening in the distributing conduits :into the car.

10.v In a heating system for electric rail- Way cars, the combination With conduits for distributing heated air Within the car, of a double Walled box suspended beneath the car floor and opening to the atmosphere, the space between the Walls being filled with heat insulating material, motor rheostat-s Within the box, means for returning the air distributed Within the car to the'box, and a funnel disposed on the exterior of the car and pointing in the direction in which the car moves arranged to entrain air, and cooperating nozzles connected to said funnel and arranged to discharge into said conduits in the direction in which said conduits dis vcharge into said car.

11. Air heating means for electricV rail- Way cars comprising a heat insulating boxv adapted to be suspended beneath the car and A to house the motor rheostats, said box having a valved passage adapted to lead to air distributing means Within the car, and a return'passage' arranged to supply the air to be re-heated at. points adjacent the rheostats, remote from said valvedpassage.

12. Air heating means for electric railway cars comprising a heat insulating box adapted to be suspended beneath Athe car and to house the motor rheostats, said box having a valved passage leading from its top, a return passage leading to its side, and a deflec- `tor with the box positionv to deflect the returning` air to points beneath thelrheostats. A

13. Air heating means for electric rail- Way cars comprising a heatinsulating box adapted to be suspended'beneath the car and to house the motor rheostats, said box having a valved passage adapted to lead to air Ydistributing means Within the car, a return a valved passage adapted tolead to air dis-A tributing means Within the car, a return passage, and double Walled doors disposed at opposite ends adapted to be clamped in airtight' closed position and retained in open position for Ventilating purposes when said valved passage is closed.

15." Air heating means for electric railwa)7 cars comprising a heat insulating box adapted to be Asuspended beneath the car and to house the motor rheostats, said box having a valved passage adapted to 4leadto air distributing means Within the car, a return passage,.and double Walled front and rear doors filled with heating insulating matefrial and provided with clamps having engagement members adapted to be snapped in clamping position past dead centres, and means for retaining said doors in open position for Ventilating purposes. when said valved passage is closed.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in the presence of two Witnesses.

A VILLIAM' J UDSON SMITH. Witnesses EDWARD N. LEAF, Y M. F. ERNST. 

